In July 1973, the Bedford Baptist Church in Bedford, Ky.,
purchased six acres of land on Hwy. 42 because leaders realized in order
to grow they needed a bigger building. It wasnt until late in
1985, however, that church members decided they needed to get serious
about that building. But the problem was how to build one with limited
finances.
The problem was solved when the church contacted a group called Carpenters
for Christ, an Alabama-based group of volunteers that took on building
projects each summer. The group agreed to take on the project, which
was their largest at that point, and build the entire church in just
10 days.

Photo
provided

Alabama-based
Carpenters for Christ
brought more than 100 men who gave
up their vacations to volunteer.

On April 15, the church will celebrate the 20th anniversary
of that amazing accomplishment. Sunday school classes will be shortened,
and the regular morning service will begin at 11:45 a.m. to finish in
time to have lunch. At 1 p.m., Dr. Tom Wilkes, the current pastor, will
host a multimedia presentation including a video and slides. There will
also be speakers to reminisce about the event and share their memories
of the church. All past members of the church are encouraged to attend,
and the public is more than welcome.
Bill Henderson, a church member and one of the locals who also helped
with the construction, said, It was just fascinating to see the
whole project unfold.
Fern Ward, another volunteer at the project, said, We would go
by the site, and then two days later  wow! It was incredible
the amount of work done each day
Henderson explained that prior to the arrival of the Carpenters for
Christ, the local church had to have the foundation and the plumbing
ready and all supplies had to be on the site. This included lumber,
windows, doors, trusses, brick and mortar. Members of Meta Baptist Church
in Pikeville, Ky., came and volunteered to pour the slab foundation.
Sleeping arrangements also had to be provided for up to 100 men. The
Trimble County High School staff allowed the men to sleep, shower and
dine in the school.
On June 19, 1986, two large tour buses with about 60 men arrived on
the site. Men from other Carpenter for Christ projects arrived later
that day, and the group swelled to more than 100 men.
There was a dentist, lawyers, pharmacists, a millionaire, and
men from all walks of life who had volunteered to give up their vacation
to help build our new church, Henderson said.

The men worked 15-16 hours a day to frame and brick the
12,585-square-feet building. At that time, a building that size would
have cost approximately $50 per square feet for a construction company
to build, for a total cost of about $630,000. Carpenters for Christ
helped the Bedford Baptist Church save more than two-thirds of that
total, Bro. Mike Caudill, the pastor during the construction, said during
a news report on the project.
But it wasnt just the men who worked on the project; the women
of the church furnished desserts and did the laundry for the men working
on the project.
Mary Browning, another church member, recalled the women of the Sunday
School going to the high school every morning to collect bags and bags
of dirty laundry.
We would go get the dirty things, wash them, and hang them out
to dry, make any repairs and send it back. The men really appreciated
it, she said.
Ward said, We tried to make a different dessert every day; we
made pies, cakes, cobblers and cookies, but the one thing the men were
the most tickled by was the homemade strawberry shortcake and ice cream.
Henderson said the men prayed every morning before they started and
took time off on Sundays and Wednesday evenings for regular worship
services. He said the friendships that were made and the socializing
that took place will never be forgotten by all the participants in that
10-day church raising.
After the volunteers left, church members still had to complete the
interior of the church with dry wall and painting, and they still had
to buy the pews and other furniture.
Before the men left, however, every person that worked on the
project signed the boards put in place for the altar, and their signatures
are still there under the carpet today, said Henderson.
The final touches were added to the building in April 1987, and the
first Sunday service was held on April 19, 1987.